Wow, where to start... uhm, ok first and foremost, this car is in bad need of something you would call a Driver Mod... Brandi is way faster than the driver... for now... I need some serious seat time with the power and the clutch....

First things first... spent the day at the shop, going over things and took my first drive in Brandi coming back from lunch... On the stock P-Zero's, tire spinning is not a problem, regardless of the gear or speed... when you apply the boost, it gets loose... but it's incredibly predictable.... So far, she hasn't done anything crazy... she wiggles when she walks, but it's very slight and OMG does it climb through the mach meter in a frigg'in hurry...

We got the new tires and wheels from Nine Ball, (Tony) mounted on the car and after checking everything again, we headed out for the track....

I drove her to Marion where the track is located... Corey and Narc rode in Coreys car, and on the way over, I eased by them a couple of times....

We did run into a little snag at the track, as the solenoid for the Line Lock seems to have mechanically failed internally... this was as we were entering the entry to the track...

No biggee, Narc and Corey had it pulled off and back to a normal configuration in no time after we corraled some tools....Thanks Heath...

So, on to tech...Got her checked and numbered... I parked the car and Corey did his thing with the computer... He got everything set and after she had cooled down, Corey took her out for her maiden voyage...

There was a pretty decent group of peeps that came out just to see this thing... Chris, Glen, Conada and family, Bob, and a host of others, Thanks all, I appreciate the support, and the harrasement for not being able to pilot this thing yet... Heath clowned me so bad at one point, I just had to walk away... I had nothing to give... no response, I just walked...

Corey took her out for her maiden voyage... very light burnout and staged... He made a very easy launch... with a 2.55 60 foot time, a 5.61 330 foot time, an 8.02 1/8 mile, and a trap time of 11.86... @ ......mph

He brought her back to the pits and parked, we opened the hood and let her cool down... Corey was data logging the runs, and making some adjustments as he went...

His second pass was a little different.. With a 2.19 60 foot time, 5.31 330', 7.76 1/8 mile, and an 11.56 @ .... mph....

This car is so frigg'in powerful, that with the easy launches, and trying to figure out the shifting points...

In first gear, you better mentally tell yourself to shift at 4500 rpm, because if you wait any longer, it's way too late and you're into the rev limiter... ask ME how I know... Yeah... I found it fairly hard, refer back to the "Driver Mod" in the first paragraph... The car is amazingly quiet... and with the power, and lack of noise, and the fact that it just keeps making power, you dont feel where to shift, and you don't really have the ability to watch the tach...though I'll work on developing that down the road...we are in the meantime, going to install a shift light and program it for the different gears...at least for first gear where everything happens so incredibly fast... Until then, I will be short shifting it in first...

So, anyway, you're probably wondering where the speeds are above... in the first pass... Corey ran the easy launch and the 2.5 60 foot and the 11.86 trap at an amazing 129.38 miles per hour... There was some pretty incredible jaw dropping when this popped on the board... The second pass was 130.93 miles per hour, short shifting first, and slipping the tires with Brandi's ass twitching side to side all the way down the track... Wow, just frigg'in wow... When Brandi gets the bit in her mouth, katy bar the door, this girl is gone... When the boost hits in second gear, she squats and takes off like a guided missle... When this car was stock, I usually shifted into fourth at the finish line if at all, now it's just past half track... since she is going 102 to 104 at the 1/8th mile.... and red line of about 113 hits right after that... In Corey's first run, there was a car in the other lane that ran a 2.24 60', at 330' the other car was still ahead,. He might of thought he beat the Chevy, but... just a short distance further up the track, the 1/8 mile, Brandi almost a full second ahead, 8.052 to 8.994, with a 103 to 82 mph difference... Yup, she runs...

Now to me...

I made a total of three passes over an hour period...

Talked with Corey, and proceeded to the starting area.. Did a very easy lil burnout, and staged... left the line about two grand, and proceeded to slam into the rev limiter... WTF.... grabbed second, Whaaaaa, thats over, punched third, whaaaaaaaaaa, damn these gears go quick, grab..b.b.b.b.bbbb..bbb.b.b.bbbb fourth... I missed it, came off the clutch, and it took a bit to re-synch everything and get her going again... I still ran my fastest time to date in her.. with a 12.48 at 117 mph...

Let her cool, talked some more with Corey, got harrased by the Brandi fan club... Yes hers, not mine... and took her out for a second run... I lined up next to a Roush Stage Three Mustang, and though, this aint their lucky day... but it was not to be... I got beat, and I say... "I" got beat, not Brandi, she tried valiantly to overcome my shortcomings, but I put her in too big of a hole...

I did ok off the line for an easy launch, with a 1.96 60' and then the trouble began... I had a 6.56 330' time... Yup, I missed second sooooo bad.... Finally got her realigned and gave her the bit... By this time the Stang had a pretty substantial lead... 1 second at 330', over a second at the 1/8th mile, but Brandi never quit... I trappped a 13.32, to the Mustangs 12.74, and I was pedaling that Stang down hard at the end... the other car went 110 and I still trapped at 126 inspite of missing 2nd so badly... .6 seconds slower and 16 mph faster...

My last pass of the night, I also missed second and still trapped 126 mph, at a slightly more respectable 12.37... and I was only doing 95.60 mph at the 1/8th mile...

I don't feel bad about my night, since I only had about thirty minutes in the seat prior to making these passes, and it is a brand new clutch to me and the car, so, I'll get her figured out and then hang on to your hats...

The power is OMG amazing... There is no violence, it just keeps building... coming on very early and very fast... but there is no violent slamming or banging, just amazingly strong and smooth power...

I think that was you in the truck trying to help me with the locked brakes... Thanks.. the dang solenoid crapped itself... We just pulled the whole mess and will order a replacement solenoid in the am...

Yea. It happens. New setup takes time to dial it in. We ran a 9.96@139 lats night with the C5 FRC Sorry I didnt go talk to you after that I saw a crowd around your car so I figured you where covered and we got our goal last night. Goodluck see you again soon.

Yea. It happens. New setup takes time to dial it in. We ran a 9.96@139 lats night with the C5 FRC Sorry I didnt go talk to you after that I saw a crowd around your car so I figured you where covered and we got our goal last night. Goodluck see you again soon.

Ya that car is sic. Nice runs all night!!! Like the run you did next to the bike.

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I'm not the one with the Atti2de problem it's everyone else that has a problem with my Atti2de!

Don't be too hard on yourself Robert. The last line is the most important. At least you understand that you DO know you need some serious seat time. All too often a person thinks it is the same car and blast off - into a ditch or worse...

Take your time with Brandi. Get the "feel" nailed down so you can predict and react. At the Fest, just work on 60' times and clean shift points, the rest will follow. You are going to have Brandi for a long time. Take your time and get to know her well.

(I am in the same boat with the SST. The maiden drive IS from LA to C5F2. All road tuning will be on-the-fly. )

BTW - the 130+ mph trap speed really gives you a great indicator of the potential - very nice !!

Thanks Bruce, I'm not being hard on myself at all... No frustration, just the realization that I have a ways to go... Glen pointed out last night during one of the cool down periods that I now am driving what is essentially more race car than street car... When we get me dialed in, she will be running substantially faster 1/8 mile speeds than she did at the quarter mile when stock... My fastest mph ever when stock was 113, with the easy launches, and I do mean easy, she was rolling through thee 1/8th at over 103 mph... Figure the launches out and stop missing gears and she ought to be in the 115 mph range by the 1/8 mile, or better....I could not be any happier with her and the job Corey and Company have managed...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dr Jkel

Robert,

I read your digest of your first runs and had to laugh. NOT at you but at myself. I always thought I knew how to drive a stick shift but mosy of my adult life I have driven Chevy Pick ups and they have all been automatics. So when I bought my Camaro I knew it would me a stick.

A clutch is a clutch, I have driven motorcycles, tractors, other cars with sticks so a clutch is a clutch. YEAH RIGHT. After breaking my car in I decided one day to see what it would really do just so I would know. There is a local place we all go near Talladega Superspeedway 4 lanes 4 miles long, Perfect location. No traffic ever, except race weekend and straight as an arrow.. How hard can this be?

The FIRST time I banged my car off the rev limiter in second gear, of course the car shut off for that brief second, I thought I blew it up. Of course everyone laughed. I am like OH SH** 2000 miles and I have trashed it. I hit the rev limiter cause you guessed I missed 3rd, don't know how but I did.

You story reminded me of that and brought back a good chuckle. I now have a MGW shifter and my shifts are alot better albeit not at a track just around town.

I can only imagine what you and Bruce's times will be once you get hooked up and your timing down. Glad Brandi is all you dreamed of.

I am glad you enjoyed it... I hear so much of what your saying... been there done that and got a few t shirts...
I'm kind'a of that mind set, a clutch is a clutch, but, this very high Ft/lb rated dual disc is not your family truckster clutch... I figured that out about one minute into my first time in the seat... It chatters a little, and you better mean you want to go when you let it out, cause you will be going somewhere... and/or without a little throttle blip before starting out with it, the engine is going to die... I drove the hell out of my stock Camaro with little or no problems... This is a whole new animal... I'll get there, but it will take time...

Yea. It happens. New setup takes time to dial it in. We ran a 9.96@139 lats night with the C5 FRC Sorry I didnt go talk to you after that I saw a crowd around your car so I figured you where covered and we got our goal last night. Goodluck see you again soon.

I would have enjoyed the visit, and as Chris mentioned, that car you were running is crazy fast...

We'll manage a meet up sometime... Looking forward to it...

And most of our dial in invloves the driver, but I'll get there...

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If the car feels like it is on rails, you are probably driving too slow. -Ross Bentley

Horsepower is how fast you hit the wall.
Torque is how far you take the wall with you.